Triance brings 16 years of policing experience to new role

photo submittedtop cop Sgt. Kara Triance will start as the Sea to Sky's new Officer in Charge within 90 days.

The RCMP has named a new Officer in Charge for the Sea to Sky, Sgt. Kara Triance.

Triance has 16 years of policing experience under her belt, including in Bella Bella, Richmond and the Vancouver International Airport. She most recently served as the Rural Area Commander for the Vernon/North Okanagan region.

"From an operational perspective I've got the skills, ability and leadership to lead that detachment and I'm thrilled for the challenges I've learned a little bit about," said Triance when reached by phone. "I'm excited to get in and see what I can do to make a difference in these communities."

Triance will oversee policing in the communities of Whistler, Pemberton, Squamish, Bowen Island and Lions Bay. The Officer in Charge for the Sea to Sky Detachment also has a working relationship with the Stl'atl'imx Tribal Police Service in Mount Currie and the Squamish Nation Peacekeepers in Squamish.

Leading up to her appointment, the 37-year-old Triance met with officials from across the corridor to discuss policing priorities. In Whistler, she said bike thefts, property crime, road safety and reducing violent crime and mental-health related calls for service will be some of the issues on her radar.

Triance replaces Insp. Neil Cross, who announced his departure last month. Cross has served in the Sea to Sky for a decade, including six years as Officer in Charge. He will take on a new position in Departmental Security for the RCMP's Northwest Region, which covers Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

"Under his leadership he has overseen policing during major Corridor initiatives such as the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the region has experienced decreasing crime rates and high levels of satisfaction in police services during his tenure," the release stated.

In the Whistler RCMP's mid-year report to council last week, Cross revealed that violent crime went down from 132 incidents between January and August 2015 to 112 incidents over the same period this year. Property crime was also down.

"On behalf of the Whistler community I would like to thank Neil for his leadership and community service during the past decade, he will be missed and we wish him well in his senior role in central Canada," said Acting Mayor Jenn Ford in the release. "We are very pleased to welcome Kara and look forward to continuing to have a strong and collaborative relationship with our RCMP partner."